Ajay's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 27 Apr 2025 18:04:45 -0700 60 Ajay's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[My Best Games of Chess, 1924-1937]]> 1867132 0 Alexander Alekhine 0679140247 Ajay 0 to-read 4.37 1939 My Best Games of Chess, 1924-1937
author: Alexander Alekhine
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1939
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know About Wealth and Prosperity]]> 187287 Common Sense Economics discusses key points and theories, using them to show how any reader can make wiser personal choices and form more informed positions on policy.

Now in its third edition, this fully updated classic from James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Dwight R. Lee, and Tawni H. Ferrarini reflects on the recession and the progress that's been made since the crash; it offers insight into political processes and the many ways in which economics informs policy, illuminating our world and what might be done to make it better.]]> 208 James D. Gwartney 031233818X Ajay 0 to-read 3.79 2005 Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know About Wealth and Prosperity
author: James D. Gwartney
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/31
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]]> <![CDATA[Hedge Hunters: After the Credit Crisis, How Hedge Fund Masters Survived]]> 7401839 The story of the survival of hedge funds and managers in the aftermath of crisis

Hedge Hunters has been one of the most important and best-selling books on hedge funds since its debut in November 2007. Since then, the financial markets have been turned upside down, posing unprecedented challenges to hedge fund managers. This revised and updated edition deals with those changes with all the insight and knowledge that made the original edition so successful. Katherine Burton has written a new preface and has updated each chapter with a discussion of how the fund was affected by the downturn, the manager's strategies for coping with the ongoing turbulence, and how the fund survived.]]> 269 Katherine Burton 1576603636 Ajay 0 to-read 3.39 2007 Hedge Hunters: After the Credit Crisis, How Hedge Fund Masters Survived
author: Katherine Burton
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/02/12
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]]> The Mahābhārata 6367153 The Mahabharata is not a mere epic; it is a romance, telling the tale of heroic men and women, and of some who were divine; it is a whole literature in itself, containing a code of life, a philosophy of social and ethical relations, and speculative thought on human problems that is hard to rival; but, above all, it has for its core the Gita,which is, as the world is beginning to find out, the noblest of scriptures and the grandest of sagas in which the climax is reached in the wondrous apocalypse in the Eleventh Canto.]]> 912 Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa 0140446818 Ajay 0 to-read 4.22 1951 The Mahābhārata
author: Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1951
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/11/06
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]]> The State and Revolution 179612 116 Vladimir Lenin 1419183478 Ajay 0 to-read 4.27 2021 The State and Revolution
author: Vladimir Lenin
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/12/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference]]> 12360692 Empires in World History departs from conventional European and nation-centered perspectives to take a remarkable look at how empires relied on diversity to shape the global order. Beginning with ancient Rome and China and continuing across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa, Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper examine empires' conquests, rivalries, and strategies of domination--with an emphasis on how empires accommodated, created, and manipulated differences among populations.

Burbank and Cooper examine Rome and China from the third century BCE, empires that sustained state power for centuries. They delve into the militant monotheism of Byzantium, the Islamic Caliphates, and the short-lived Carolingians, as well as the pragmatically tolerant rule of the Mongols and Ottomans, who combined religious protection with the politics of loyalty. Burbank and Cooper discuss the influence of empire on capitalism and popular sovereignty, the limitations and instability of Europe's colonial projects, Russia's repertoire of exploitation and differentiation, as well as the "empire of liberty"--devised by American revolutionaries and later extended across a continent and beyond.

With its investigation into the relationship between diversity and imperial states, Empires in World History offers a fresh approach to understanding the impact of empires on the past and present.]]> 528 Jane Burbank 0691152365 Ajay 0 to-read 4.04 2010 Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference
author: Jane Burbank
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2016/09/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Civilization and Capitalism 15th-18th Century, Vol. 3: The Perspective of the World]]> 187730 699 Fernand Braudel 0520081161 Ajay 0 to-read 4.45 1979 Civilization and Capitalism 15th-18th Century, Vol. 3: The Perspective of the World
author: Fernand Braudel
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.45
book published: 1979
rating: 0
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date added: 2016/05/28
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]]> The Thirty Years War 287542 520 C.V. Wedgwood 1590171462 Ajay 0 to-read 4.17 1938 The Thirty Years War
author: C.V. Wedgwood
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1938
rating: 0
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]]> Imperial Spain, 1469 - 1716 1599538 448 J.H. Elliott 0141007036 Ajay 0 to-read 3.87 1960 Imperial Spain, 1469 - 1716
author: J.H. Elliott
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1960
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire]]> 432708 "Splendidly rich...required reading for anyone who hopes to understand the real Europe."�Daily Telegraph.

The Habsburgs have been described at one extreme as demons � responsible for a ‘long history of atrocities�; and, at the other, as dodos � living fossils unable to adapt to the modern world. In reality, the flamboyant royal family appear, in many ways, to have behaved much like most other monarchies. Their story, however, is none the less enthralling for that. It is populated by such unforgettable figures as mad Queen Juana, progressing through Spain with her husband’s decaying body; the ‘heroically fertile� Maria Theresa, and the quixotic Maximilian, ‘Emperor� of Mexico.]]> 384 Andrew Wheatcroft 0140236341 Ajay 0 to-read 3.48 1995 The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire
author: Andrew Wheatcroft
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia]]> 15815364 The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the boldly imagined tale of a poor boy's quest for wealth and love.

His first two novels established Mohsin Hamid as a radically inventive storyteller with his finger on the world's pulse. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia meets that reputation, and exceeds it. the astonishing and riveting tale of a man's journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon, it steals its shape from the business self-help books devoured by ambitious youths all over "rising Asia." It follows its nameless hero to the sprawling metropolis where he begins to amass an empire built on that most fluid, and increasingly scarce, of goods: water. Yet his heart remains set on something else, on the pretty girl whose star rises along with his, their paths crossing and recrossing, a lifelong affair sparked and snuffed and sparked again by the forces that careen their fates along.

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval. Romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious, it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hopes it depicts. And it creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change.]]> 230 Mohsin Hamid 1594487294 Ajay 4 to-read 3.79 2013 How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
author: Mohsin Hamid
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2013
rating: 4
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date added: 2015/12/19
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]]> <![CDATA[When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order]]> 6478768 How China's ascendance as an economic superpower will alter the cultural, political, social, and ethnic balance of global power in the twenty-first century, unseating the West and in the process creating a whole new world.

According to even the most conservative estimates, China will overtake the United States as the world's largest economy by 2027 and will ascend to the position of world economic leader by 2050. But the full repercussions of China's ascendancy-for itself and the rest of the globe-have been surprisingly little explained or understood. In this far-reaching and original investigation, Martin Jacques offers provocative answers to some of the most pressing questions about China's growing place on the world stage.

Martin Jacques reveals, by elaborating on three historical truths, how China will seek to shape the world in its own image. The Chinese have a rich and long history as a civilization-state. Under the tributary system, outlying states paid tribute to the Middle Kingdom. Ninety-four percent of the population still believes they are one race-"Han Chinese." The strong sense of superiority rooted in China's history promises to resurface in twenty-first century China and in the process strengthen and further unify the country.

A culturally self-confident Asian giant with a billion-plus population, China will likely resist globalization as we know it. This exceptionalism will have powerful ramifications for the rest of the world and the United States in particular. As China is already emerging as the new center of the East Asian economy, the mantle of economic and, therefore, cultural relevance will in our lifetimes begin to pass from Manhattan and Paris to cities like Beijing and Shanghai. It is the American relationship with and attitude toward China, Jacques argues, that will determine whether the twenty-first century will be relatively peaceful or fraught with tension, instability, and danger.

When China Rules the World is the first book to fully conceive of and explain the upheaval that China's ascendance will cause and the realigned global power structure it will create.]]> 778 Martin Jacques 1594201854 Ajay 3 to-read 3.74 2008 When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order
author: Martin Jacques
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2008
rating: 3
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date added: 2015/12/19
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]]> The Alchemy of Finance 369708 � The Wall Street Journal George Soros is unquestionably one of the most powerful and profitable investors in the world today. Dubbed by BusinessWeek as "the Man who Moves Markets," Soros made a fortune competing with the British pound and remains active today in the global financial community. Now, in this special edition of the classic investment book, The Alchemy of Finance, Soros presents a theoretical and practical account of current financial trends and a new paradigm by which to understand the financial market today. This edition's expanded and revised Introduction details Soros's innovative investment practices along with his views of the world and world order. He also describes a new paradigm for the "theory of reflexivity" which underlies his unique investment strategies. Filled with expert advice and valuable business lessons, The Alchemy of Finance reveals the timeless principles of an investing legend. This special edition will feature a new chapter by Soros on the secrets of his success and a new Foreword by the Honorable Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve. George Soros (New York, NY) is President of Soros Fund Management and Chief Investment Advisor to Quantum Fund N.V., a $12 billion international investment fund. Besides his numerous ventures in finance, Soros is also extremely active in the worlds of education, culture, and economic aid and development through his Open Society Fund and the Soros Foundation.]]> 391 George Soros 0471445495 Ajay 4 to-read 3.76 1987 The Alchemy of Finance
author: George Soros
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1987
rating: 4
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date added: 2015/12/19
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]]> Metaphysics 208036 365 Aristotle 1888009039 Ajay 4 4.08 -330 Metaphysics
author: Aristotle
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.08
book published: -330
rating: 4
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]]> Poetics 13270 'What is poetry, how many kinds of it are there, and what are their specific effects?'

Aristotle's Poetics is the most influential book on poetry ever written. A founding text of European aesthetics and literary criticism, from it stems much of our modern understanding of the creation and impact of imaginative writing, including poetry, drama, and fiction. For Aristotle, the art of representation conveys universal truths which we can appreciate more easily than the lessons of history or philosophy. In his short treatise Aristotle discusses the origins of poetry and its early development, the nature of tragedy and plot, and offers practical advice to playwrights.]]> 144 Aristotle 0140446362 Ajay 5 3.84 -335 Poetics
author: Aristotle
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.84
book published: -335
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused]]> 431668
In the 1630s, visitors to the prosperous trading cities of the Netherlands couldn't help but notice that thousands of normally sober, hardworking Dutch citizens were caught up in an extraordinary frenzy of buying and selling. The object of this unprecedented speculation was the tulip, a delicate and exotic Eastern import that had bewitched horticulturists, noblemen, and tavern owners alike. For almost a year rare bulbs changed hands for incredible and ever-increasing sums, until single flowers were being sold for more than the cost of a house. Historians would come to call it tulipomania. It was the first futures market in history, and like so many of the ones that would follow, it crashed spectacularly, plunging speculators and investors into economic ruin and despair.This colorful cast of characters includes Turkish sultans, Yugoslav soldiers, French botanists, and Dutch tavern keepers—all centuries apart historically and worlds apart culturally, but with one thing in tulipomania.]]> 273 Mike Dash 060980765X Ajay 4 3.68 2000 Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused
author: Mike Dash
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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]]> A History of the Jews 358936 644 Paul Johnson 0060915331 Ajay 3 to-read 4.14 1987 A History of the Jews
author: Paul Johnson
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1987
rating: 3
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date added: 2015/06/07
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]]> The Sanjay Story 16283885
Gandhi’s relationship with the Nehrus � particularly Kamala and Indira. This gives the background to an understanding of Sanjay’s volatile personality as it developed through his early years and his obsession with cars that led to the establishment of the Maruti factory. Writing in a style that is both compelling and honest, Vinod Mehta sifts the facts from the rumours and gets to the core of Sanjay’s dramatic emergence after the declaration of the Emergency. His capturing of the Youth Congress and the excesses of the sterilization campaign (which he thought would ensure his place in history) are brought out in telling detail, as is the use of the media to build the cult of Sanjay.

With a new introduction, The Sanjay Story allows readers to look with the benefit of hindsight on the rise and fall of one of independent India’s most controversial figures. What emerges from the text is not only an understanding of Sanjay and his times, but an understanding of India’s current political scenario. Vinod Mehta confirms the truth of history writing � that to engage intelligently with the present, you must come to terms with the past, even a past as inglorious and bewildering as the Emergency.]]> 272 Vinod Mehta 9350295814 Ajay 4 3.50 1978 The Sanjay Story
author: Vinod Mehta
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1978
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.]]> 16121 Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.
Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history. Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay.
While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky, eccentric original. A devout Baptist and temperance advocate, Rockefeller gave money more generously--his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Chicago, and what is today Rockefeller University--than anyone before him. Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating, complex man, synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals, tragedies, and misfortunes that have never before come to light.
John D. Rockefeller's story captures a pivotal moment in American history, documenting the dramatic post-Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation. With cameos by Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Jay Gould, William Vanderbilt, Ida Tarbell, Andrew Carnegie, Carl Jung, J. Pierpont Morgan, William James, Henry Clay Frick, Mark Twain, and Will Rogers, Titan turns Rockefeller's life into a vivid tapestry of American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is Ron Chernow's signal triumph that he narrates this monumental saga with all the sweep, drama, and insight that this giant subject deserves.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 832 Ron Chernow 1400077303 Ajay 0 4.15 1998 Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
author: Ron Chernow
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1998
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]]> Debt: The First 5,000 Years 6617037 Before there was money, there was debt.

Every economics textbook says the same thing: Money was invented to replace onerous and complicated barter systems—to relieve ancient people from having to haul their goods to market. The problem with this version of history? There’s not a shred of evidence to support it.

Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom. He shows that for more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods—that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era, Graeber argues, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors.

Graeber shows that arguments about debt and debt forgiveness have been at the center of political debates from Italy to China, as well as sparking innumerable insurrections. He also brilliantly demonstrates that the language of the ancient works of law and religion(words like “guilt,� “sin,� and “redemption�) derive in large part from ancient debates about debt, and shape even our most basic ideas of right and wrong. We are still fighting these battles today without knowing it.

Debt: The First 5,000 Years is a fascinating chronicle of this little known history—as well as how it has defined human history, and what it means for the credit crisis of the present day and the future of our economy.]]> 534 David Graeber 1933633867 Ajay 0 4.21 2011 Debt: The First 5,000 Years
author: David Graeber
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The House of Rothschild, Vol 2: The World's Banker 1849-1999]]> 173746 A major work of economic, social and political history, Niall Ferguson's The House of Rothschild: The World's Banker 1849-1999 is the second volume of the acclaimed, landmark history of the legendary Rothschild banking dynasty. Niall Ferguson's House of Rothschild: Money's Prophets 1798-1848 was hailed as a 'great biography' by Time magazine and named one of the best books of 1998 by Business Week.

Now, with all the depth, clarity and drama with which he traced their ascent, Ferguson - the first historian with access to the long-lost Rothschild family archives - concludes his myth-breaking portrait of once of the most fascinating and power families of all time.

From Crimea to World War II, wars repeatedly threatened the stability of the Rothschilds' worldwide empire. Despite these many global upheavals, theirs remained the biggest bank in the world up until the First World War, their interests extending far beyond the realm of finance. Yet the Rothschilds' failure to establish themselves successfully in the United States proved fateful, and as financial power shifted from London to New York after 1914, their power waned.

'A stupendous achievement, a triumph of historical research and imagination'


Robert Skidelsky, The New York Review of Books 'Niall Ferguson's brilliant and altogether enthralling two-volume family saga proves that academic historians can still tell great stories that the rest of us want to read'
The New York Times Book Review

'Superb ... An impressive ... account of the Rothschilds and their role in history'
Boston Globe

Niall Ferguson is one of Britain's most renowned historians. He is Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University and a Senior Research Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. He is the bestselling author of The Pity of War, The Ascent of Money, Empire, Colossus, The War of the World and Civilization.]]> 592 Niall Ferguson 0140286624 Ajay 0 3.94 1998 The House of Rothschild, Vol 2: The World's Banker 1849-1999
author: Niall Ferguson
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1998
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The House of Rothschild, Vol 1: Money's Prophets, 1798-1848]]> 173745 544 Niall Ferguson 0140240845 Ajay 0 3.87 1998 The House of Rothschild, Vol 1: Money's Prophets, 1798-1848
author: Niall Ferguson
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1998
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[A Game as Old as Empire: The Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption]]> 215799 310 Steven Hiatt 1576753956 Ajay 3 3.85 2007 A Game as Old as Empire: The Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption
author: Steven Hiatt
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2007
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Dear Undercover Economist: Priceless Advice on Money, Work, Sex, Kids, and Life's Other Challenges]]> 6004848
Throughout history, great philosophers have been answering profound questions about life. But do they know why your socks keep disappearing from the dryer, or how to choose the quickest line at the supermarket? Probably not, but Tim Harford does. . . .

In Dear Undercover Economist , the first collection of his wildly popular Financial Times columns, Tim Harford offers witty, charming, and at times caustic answers to our most pressing concerns–all through the lens of economics. Does money buy happiness? Is “the one� really out there? Can cities be greener than farms? Can you really “dress for success�? When’s the best time to settle down? Harford provides brilliant, hilarious, unexpected, and wise answers to these and other questions. Arranged by topic, easy to read, and hard to put down, Dear Undercover Economist lends an outrageous, compassionate, and indispensable perspective on anything that may irk or ail you–a book well worth the investment.]]> 240 Tim Harford 0812980107 Ajay 2 3.57 Dear Undercover Economist: Priceless Advice on Money, Work, Sex, Kids, and Life's Other Challenges
author: Tim Harford
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.57
book published:
rating: 2
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date added: 2015/04/06
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]]> <![CDATA[The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America]]> 259028 447 Erik Larson 0375725601 Ajay 0 to-read 3.97 2003 The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
author: Erik Larson
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2015/03/09
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]]> <![CDATA[The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance]]> 16131 812 Ron Chernow 0802138292 Ajay 0 3.93 1990 The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
author: Ron Chernow
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at: 2015/01/15
date added: 2015/01/15
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]]> The Prince 28862
1. So it is that to know the nature of a people, one need be a Prince; to know the nature of a Prince, one need to be of the people.
2. If a Prince is not given to vices that make him hated, it is unsusal for his subjects to show their affection for him.
3. Opportunity made Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus, and others; their virtue domi-nated the opportunity, making their homelands noble and happy. Armed prophets win; the disarmed lose.
4. Without faith and religion, man achieves power but not glory.
5. Prominent citizens want to command and oppress; the populace only wants to be free of oppression.
6. A Prince needs a friendly populace; otherwise in diversity there is no hope.
7. A Prince, who rules as a man of valor, avoids disasters,
8. Nations based on mercenary forces will never be solid or secure.
9. Mercenaries are dangerous because of their cowardice
10. There are two ways to fight: one with laws, the other with force. The first is rightly man’s way; the second, the way of beasts.]]> 144 Niccolò Machiavelli 0937832383 Ajay 5 3.85 1513 The Prince
author: Niccolò Machiavelli
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1513
rating: 5
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date added: 2014/05/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States of America, Bill of Rights and Constitutional Amendments (Including Images of Original]]> 2051321 61 Founding Fathers 1599868393 Ajay 0 to-read 4.38 1776 Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States of America, Bill of Rights and Constitutional Amendments (Including Images of Original
author: Founding Fathers
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1776
rating: 0
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date added: 2014/05/18
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB]]> 10756 736 Christopher Andrew 0465003125 Ajay 0 3.93 1985 The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB
author: Christopher Andrew
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1985
rating: 0
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date added: 2014/04/15
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]]> Meditations 30659 Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. While the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and readers throughout the centuries.]]> 254 Marcus Aurelius 0140449337 Ajay 4 to-read 4.29 180 Meditations
author: Marcus Aurelius
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.29
book published: 180
rating: 4
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date added: 2014/03/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia]]> 7264419
Based on extensive research, including several interviews with Vladimir Putin, this revealing book chronicles Russia's dramatic reemergence on the world stage, illuminating the key reason for its the use of its ever-expanding energy wealth to reassert its traditional great power ambitions. In his deft, informative narrative, Marshall Goldman traces how this has come to be, and how Russia is using its oil-based power as a lever in world politics. The book provides an informative overview of oil in Russia, traces Vladimir Putin's determined effort to reign in the upstart oil oligarchs who had risen to power in the post-Soviet era, and describes Putin's efforts to renationalize and refashion Russia's industries into state companies and his vaunted "national champions" corporations like Gazprom, largely owned by the state, who do the bidding of the state. Goldman shows how Russia paid off its international debt and has gone on to accumulate the world's third largest holdings of
foreign currency reserves--all by becoming the world's largest producer of petroleum and the world's second largest exporter. Today, Vladimir Putin and his cohort have stabilized the Russian economy and recentralized power in Moscow, and fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) have made it all possible.

The story of oil and gas in Russia is a tale of discovery, intrigue, corruption, wealth, misguidance, greed, patronage, nepotism, and power. Marshall Goldman tells this story with panache, as only one of the world's leading authorities on Russia could.]]> 244 Marshall I. Goldman 0195398637 Ajay 0 to-read 3.92 2008 Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia
author: Marshall I. Goldman
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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date added: 2014/02/17
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]]> Das Kapital 238953 Das Kapital, Karl Marx's seminal work, is the book that above all others formed the twentieth century. From Kapital sprung the economic and political systems that at one time dominated half the earth and for nearly a century kept the world on the brink of war. Even today, more than one billion Chinese citizens live under a regime that proclaims fealty to Marxist ideology. Yet this important tome has been passed over by many readers frustrated by Marx’s difficult style and his preoccupation with nineteenth-century events of little relevance to today's reader.

Here Serge Levitsky presents a revised version of Kapital, abridged to emphasize the political and philosophical core of Marx’s work while trimming away much that is now unimportant. Pointing out Marx’s many erroneous predictions about the development of capitalism, Levitsky's introduction nevertheless argues for Kapital's relevance as a prime example of a philosophy of economic determinism that "subordinates the problems of human freedom and human dignity to the issues of who should own the means of production and how wealth should be distributed."

Here then is a fresh and highly readable version of a work whose ideas provided inspiration for communist regimes' ideological war against capitalism, a struggle that helped to shape the world today.]]> 356 Karl Marx 089526711X Ajay 0 to-read 3.88 1867 Das Kapital
author: Karl Marx
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1867
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth]]> 4052 230 Eric M. Jackson 0977898431 Ajay 0 to-read 3.99 2004 The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth
author: Eric M. Jackson
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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date added: 2013/07/26
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]]> <![CDATA[House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street]]> 5881889
This seemed a bold and risky statement. Bear Stearns was about to announce profits of $115 million for the first quarter of 2008, had $17.3 billion in cash on hand, and, as the company incessantly boasted, had been a colossally profitable enterprise in the eighty-five years since its founding.

Ten days later, Bear Stearns no longer existed, and the calamitous financial meltdown of 2008 had begun.

How this happened � and why � is the subject of William D. Cohan’s superb and shocking narrative that chronicles the fall of Bear Stearns and the end of the Second Gilded Age on Wall Street. Bear Stearns serves as the Rosetta Stone to explain how a combination of risky bets, corporate political infighting, lax government regulations and truly bad decision-making wrought havoc on the world financial system.

Cohan’s minute-by-minute account of those ten days in March makes for breathless reading, as the bankers at Bear Stearns struggled to contain the cascading series of events that would doom the firm, and as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, New York Federal Reserve Bank President Tim Geithner, and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke began to realize the dire consequences for the world economy should the company go bankrupt.

But HOUSE OF CARDS does more than recount the incredible panic of the first stages of the financial meltdown. William D. Cohan beautifully demonstrates why the seemingly invincible Wall Street money machine came crashing down. He chronicles the swashbuckling corporate culture of Bear Stearns, the strangely crucial role competitive bridge played in the company’s fortunes, the brutal internecine battles for power, and the deadly combination of greed and inattention that helps to explain why the company’s leaders ignored the danger lurking in Bear’s huge positions in mortgage-backed securities.

The author deftly portrays larger-than-life personalities like Ace Greenberg, Bear Stearns� miserly, take-no-prisoners chairman whose memos about re-using paper clips were legendary throughout Wall Street; his profane, colorful rival and eventual heir Jimmy Cayne, whose world-champion-level bridge skills were a lever in his corporate rise and became a symbol of the reasons for the firm’s demise; and Jamie Dimon, the blunt-talking CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who won the astonishing endgame of the saga (the Bear Stearns headquarters alone were worth more than JP Morgan paid for the whole company).

Cohan’s explanation of seemingly arcane subjects like credit default swaps and fixed- income securities is masterful and crystal clear, but it is the high-end dish and powerful narrative drive that makes HOUSE OF CARDS an irresistible read on a par with classics such as LIAR’S POKER and BARBARIANS AT THE GATE.

Written with the novelistic verve and insider knowledge that made THE LAST TYCOONS a bestseller and a prize-winner, HOUSE OF CARDS is a chilling cautionary tale about greed, arrogance, and stupidity in the financial world, and the consequences for all of us.]]> 468 William D. Cohan 0385528264 Ajay 0 to-read 3.94 2009 House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street
author: William D. Cohan
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2009
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]]> The True History of Chocolate 88456 280 Sophie D. Coe 0500282293 Ajay 0 to-read 3.81 1996 The True History of Chocolate
author: Sophie D. Coe
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1996
rating: 0
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]]> Sugar: A Bittersweet History 3188980 453 Elizabeth Abbott 0143017136 Ajay 0 to-read 3.70 2008 Sugar: A Bittersweet History
author: Elizabeth Abbott
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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]]> A World Without Islam 7193774
But what if that weren't the case at all? In A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM, Graham E. Fuller guides us along an illuminating journey through history, geopolitics, and religion to investigate whether or not Islam is indeed the cause of some of today's most emotional and important international crises. Fuller takes us from the birth of Islam to the fall of Rome to the rise and collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He examines and analyzes the roots of terrorism, the conflict in Israel, and the role of Islam in supporting and energizing the anti-imperial struggle. Provocatively, he finds that contrary to the claims of many politicians, thinkers, theologians, and soldiers, a world without Islam might not look vastly different from what we know today.

Filled with fascinating details and counterintuitive conclusions, A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM is certain to inspire debate and reshape the way we think about Islam's relationship with the West.]]> 336 Graham E. Fuller 031604119X Ajay 0 to-read 3.99 2010 A World Without Islam
author: Graham E. Fuller
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2010
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]]> A Mathematician's Apology 154060 153 G.H. Hardy 0521427061 Ajay 0 to-read 3.93 1940 A Mathematician's Apology
author: G.H. Hardy
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1940
rating: 0
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date added: 2013/04/15
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]]> <![CDATA[The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdős and the Search for Mathematical Truth]]> 714583 302 Paul Hoffman 0786884061 Ajay 0 to-read 4.05 1998 The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdős and the Search for Mathematical Truth
author: Paul Hoffman
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1998
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid]]> 24113 777 Douglas R. Hofstadter 0465026567 Ajay 0 to-read 4.29 1979 Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
author: Douglas R. Hofstadter
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1979
rating: 0
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]]> How to Lie with Statistics 51291 142 Darrell Huff 0393310728 Ajay 0 to-read 3.82 1954 How to Lie with Statistics
author: Darrell Huff
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1954
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences]]> 186749 180 John Allen Paulos 0809058405 Ajay 0 to-read 3.79 1988 Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences
author: John Allen Paulos
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1988
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary]]> 25019 The Professor and the Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary -- and literary history. The compilation of the OED, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.]]> 242 Simon Winchester 0060839783 Ajay 0 to-read 3.84 1998 The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
author: Simon Winchester
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1998
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number]]> 24081
The Golden Ratio is a captivating journey through art and architecture, botany and biology, physics and mathematics. It tells the human story of numerous phi-fixated individuals, including the followers of Pythagoras who believed that this proportion revealed the hand of God; astronomer Johannes Kepler, who saw phi as the greatest treasure of geometry; such Renaissance thinkers as mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci of Pisa; and such masters of the modern world as Goethe, Cezanne, Bartok, and physicist Roger Penrose. Wherever his quest for the meaning of phi takes him, Mario Livio reveals the world as a place where order, beauty, and eternal mystery will always coexist.]]> 294 Mario Livio 0767908163 Ajay 0 to-read 3.80 2002 The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number
author: Mario Livio
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America]]> 54666
The New York Times bestseller, praised as "hilariously funny . . . the only way to understand why so many Americans have decided to vote against their own economic and political interests" (Molly Ivins)

Hailed as "dazzlingly insightful and wonderfully sardonic" (Chicago Tribune), "very funny and very painful" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "in a different league from most political books" (The New York Observer), What's the Matter with Kansas? unravels the great political mystery of our day: Why do so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests? With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank answers the riddle by examining his home state, Kansas-a place once famous for its radicalism that now ranks among the nation's most eager participants in the culture wars. Charting what he calls the "thirty-year backlash"-the popular revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment-Frank reveals how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans.

A brilliant analysis-and funny to boot-What's the Matter with Kansas? is a vivid portrait of an upside-down world where blue-collar patriots recite the Pledge while they strangle their life chances; where small farmers cast their votes for a Wall Street order that will eventually push them off their land; and where a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs has managed to convince the country that it speaks on behalf of the People.
]]> 332 Thomas Frank 080507774X Ajay 0 to-read 3.84 2004 What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
author: Thomas Frank
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2004
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]]> <![CDATA[Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance]]> 12612 Hegemony or Survival demonstrates how, for more than half a century the United States has been pursuing a grand imperial strategy with the aim of staking out the globe. Our leaders have shown themselves willing-as in the Cuban missile crisis-to follow the dream of dominance no matter how high the risks. World-renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky investigates how we came to this perilous moment and why our rulers are willing to jeopardize the future of our species.

With the striking logic that is his trademark, Chomsky tracks the U.S. government's aggressive pursuit of "full spectrum dominance" and vividly lays out how the most recent manifestations of the politics of global control-from unilateralism to the dismantling of international agreements to state terrorism-cohere in a drive for hegemony that ultimately threatens our existence. Lucidly written, thoroughly documented, and featuring a new afterword by the author, Hegemony or Survival is a definitive statement from one of today's most influential thinkers.]]> 304 Noam Chomsky 0805076883 Ajay 0 to-read 3.98 2003 Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance
author: Noam Chomsky
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2003
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]]> Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal 669
This edition includes two articles by Ayn Rand that did not appear in the hardcover edition: “The Wreckage of the Consensus,� which presents the Objectivists� views on Vietnam and the draft; and “Requiem for Man,� an answer to the Papal encyclical Progresso Populorum.]]> 340 Ayn Rand 0451147952 Ajay 0 to-read 3.89 1946 Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
author: Ayn Rand
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1946
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]]> <![CDATA[முகமது பின் துக்ளக� [Muhammad Bin Tughlaq]]]> 13418779 124 Cho Ramaswamy Ajay 0 to-read 4.16 1994 முகமது பின் துக்ளக் [Muhammad Bin Tughlaq]
author: Cho Ramaswamy
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1994
rating: 0
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date added: 2013/04/09
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]]> <![CDATA[The Devil's Derivatives: The Untold Story of the Slick Traders and Hapless Regulators Who Almost Blew Up Wall Street . . . an]]> 9520342
From an award-winning journalist who has been covering the industry for more than a decade, The Devil’s Derivatives charts the untold story of modern financial innovation—how investment banks invented new financial products, how investors across the world were wooed into buying them, how regulators were seduced by the political rewards of easy credit, and how speculators made a killing from the near-meltdown of the financial system.

Author Nicholas Dunbar demystifies the revolution that briefly gave finance the same intellectual respectability as theoretical physics. He explains how bankers worldwide created a secret trillion-dollar machine that delivered cheap mortgages to the masses and riches beyond dreams to the financial innovators.

Fundamental to this saga is how “the people who hated to lose� were persuaded to accept risk by “the people who loved to win.� Why did people come to trust and respect arcane financial tools? Who were the bankers competing to assemble the basic components into increasingly intricate machines? How did this process achieve its own unstoppable momentum—ending in collapse, bailouts, and a public outcry against the giants of finance?

Provocative and intriguing, The Devil’s Derivatives sheds much-needed light on the forces that fueled the most brutal economic downturn since the Great Depression.
]]> 320 Nicholas Dunbar 1422177815 Ajay 0 to-read 3.83 2011 The Devil's Derivatives: The Untold Story of the Slick Traders and Hapless Regulators Who Almost Blew Up Wall Street . . . an
author: Nicholas Dunbar
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World]]> 10859327
For much of its storied 142-year history, Goldman Sachs has projected an image of being better than its competitors--smarter, more collegial, more ethical, and far more profitable. The firm--buttressed by the most aggressive and sophisticated p.r. machine in the financial industry--often boasts of "The Goldman Way," a business model predicated on hiring the most talented people, indoctrinating them in a corporate culture where partners stifle their egos for the greater good, and honoring the "14 Principles," the first of which is "Our clients' interests always come first."

But there is another way of viewing Goldman--a secretive money-making machine that has straddled the line between conflict-of-interest and legitimate deal-making for decades; a firm that has exerted undue influence over government since the early part of the 20th century; a company composed of "cyborgs" who are kept in line by an internal "reputational risk department" staffed by former CIA operatives and private investigators; a workplace rife with brutal power struggles; a Wall Street titan whose clever bet against the mortgage market in 2007--a bet not revealed to its clients--may have made the financial ruin of the Great Recessionworse.

As William D. Cohan shows in his riveting chronicle of Goldman's rise to the summit of world capitalism, the firm has shown a remarkable ability to weather financial crises, congressional, federal and SEC investigations, and numerous lawsuits, all with its reputation and its enormous profits intact.Byreading thousands of pages of government documents, court cases, SEC filings, Freedom of Information Actpapersand other sources, and conducting over 100 interviews, including interviews with clients, competitors, regulators, current and former Goldman employees (including thesixliving men who have run Goldman), Cohan has constructed a vivid narrative that looks behind the veil of secrecy to reveal how Goldman has become so profitable, and so powerful.

Part of the answer is the firm's assiduous cultivation of people in power--dating back to 1913, when Henry Goldman advised the government on how the new Federal Reserve, designed to oversee Wall Street, should be constituted.Sidney Weinberg, who ran the firm for four decades, advised presidents from Roosevelt to Kennedy and was nicknamed "The Politician" for his behind-the-scenes friendships with government officials. Goldman executives ran fundraising efforts for Nixon, Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush. The firm showered lucrative consultingor speaking fees on figures like Henry Kissinger and Lawrence Summers. Famously, and fatefully, two Goldman leaders-- Robert Rubin and Henry Paulson--became Secretaries of the Treasury, where theiractions both before andduring the financial crisis of 2008became the stuff of controversy and conspiracy theories.

Another major strand in the firm's DNA is its eagerness to deal on both sides of a transaction, eliding questions of conflict of interest by the mere assertion of their innate honesty and nobility, a refrain repeated many times in its history, most notoriously by current Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein's jesting assertion that he was doing "God's work."

As Michiko Kakutani's New York Times review of HOUSE OF CARDS said, "Cohan writes with an insider's knowledge of the workings of Wall Street, a reporter's investigative instincts and a natural storyteller's narrative command." In MONEY & POWER, Cohan has marshaled all these gifts in a powerful and definitive account of an institution whose public claims of virtue look very much like ruthlessness when exposed to the light of day.



]]> 672 William D. Cohan 038552384X Ajay 0 3.86 2011 Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World
author: William D. Cohan
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System]]> 7098979
But Paulson had no idea that a year later, he would find himself at the very epicenter of the world's most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression. Major institutions including Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup, among others-all steeped in rich, longstanding tradition-literally teetered at the edge of collapse. Panic ensnared international markets. Worst of all, the credit crisis spread to all parts of the U.S. economy and grew more ominous with each passing day, destroying jobs across America and undermining the financial security millions of families had spent their lifetimes building.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events no one had thought possible were happening in quick succession, and people all over the globe were terrified that the continuing downward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned to the United States Treasury Secretary to avert the disaster.

This, then, is Hank Paulson's first-person account. From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, ON THE BRINK is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the reader in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players-including the CEOs of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President George W. Bush.

More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, ON THE BRINK is an extraordinary story about people and politics-all brought together during the world's impending financial Armageddon.]]> 496 Henry M. Paulson Jr. 0446561932 Ajay 2 to-read 3.77 2010 On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
author: Henry M. Paulson Jr.
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2010
rating: 2
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date added: 2013/04/05
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]]> <![CDATA[The Day the Universe Changed: How Galileo's Telescope Changed the Truth]]> 55016 Based on the popular television documentary series, The Day the Universe Changed is a bestselling history that challenges the reader to decide whether there is absolute knowledge to discover - or whether the universe is "ultimately what we say it is."]]> 352 James Burke 0316117048 Ajay 0 to-read 4.21 1986 The Day the Universe Changed: How Galileo's Telescope Changed the Truth
author: James Burke
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1986
rating: 0
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]]> Connections 55024 304 James Burke 0316116726 Ajay 0 to-read 4.23 1978 Connections
author: James Burke
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1978
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic]]> 112731 182 Madsen Pirie 0826490069 Ajay 0 to-read 3.52 2006 How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic
author: Madsen Pirie
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty]]> 12158480 Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?

Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are?

Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence?

Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories.

Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including:

- China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed andoverwhelm the West?
- Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority?
- What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More
philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions?

Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.]]> 529 Daron Acemoğlu 0307719219 Ajay 0 to-read 4.06 2012 Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
author: Daron Acemoğlu
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
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]]> <![CDATA[This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly]]> 6372440 This Time Is Different presents a comprehensive look at the varieties of financial crises, and guides us through eight astonishing centuries of government defaults, banking panics, and inflationary spikes--from medieval currency debasements to today's subprime catastrophe. Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, leading economists whose work has been influential in the policy debate concerning the current financial crisis, provocatively argue that financial combustions are universal rites of passage for emerging and established market nations. The authors draw important lessons from history to show us how much--or how little--we have learned.


Using clear, sharp analysis and comprehensive data, Reinhart and Rogoff document that financial fallouts occur in clusters and strike with surprisingly consistent frequency, duration, and ferocity. They examine the patterns of currency crashes, high and hyperinflation, and government defaults on international and domestic debts--as well as the cycles in housing and equity prices, capital flows, unemployment, and government revenues around these crises. While countries do weather their financial storms, Reinhart and Rogoff prove that short memories make it all too easy for crises to recur.


An important book that will affect policy discussions for a long time to come, This Time Is Different exposes centuries of financial missteps.]]> 460 Carmen M. Reinhart 0691142165 Ajay 0 to-read 3.77 2009 This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly
author: Carmen M. Reinhart
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2009
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]]> <![CDATA[The Murder of Lehman Brothers: An Insider's Look at the Global Meltdown]]> 6763377 245 Joseph Tibman 188328371X Ajay 0 to-read 3.76 2009 The Murder of Lehman Brothers: An Insider's Look at the Global Meltdown
author: Joseph Tibman
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2009
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]]> <![CDATA[Fortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street]]> 186124
Shannon and MIT mathematician Edward O. Thorp took the "Kelly formula" to Las Vegas. It worked. They realized that there was even more money to be made in the stock market. Thorp used the Kelly system with his phenomenonally successful hedge fund, Princeton-Newport Partners. Shannon became a successful investor, too, topping even Warren Buffett's rate of return. Fortune's Formula traces how the Kelly formula sparked controversy even as it made fortunes at racetracks, casinos, and trading desks. It reveals the dark side of this alluring scheme, which is founded on exploiting an insider's edge.

Shannon believed it was possible for a smart investor to beat the market—and Fortune's Formula will convince you that he was right.]]> 386 William Poundstone 0809045990 Ajay 0 to-read 4.18 2006 Fortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street
author: William Poundstone
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs]]> 3877311
Charles D. Ellis has written a landmark book that couldn’t come at a better time. The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs is the colorful and fascinating story of Goldman’s rise to power through many life-threatening changes in markets, competition, and regulation. It tells the personal history of the men and women who built the world’s leading financial powerhouse from a firm that was disgraced and nearly destroyed in 1929, limped along as a break-even operation through the Depression and WWII, and, with only one special service and one improbable banker, began the rise that, in half a century, took Goldman Sachs to global leadership.

A conversation with Charles Ellis:

* Is Goldman Sachs really a lot better than other firms at managing risk?

The big difference is in the cumulative power of many “small� details. The difference in the speed, accuracy, and extent of communication inside the firm; the difference in intensity, focus, and disciplined toughness of the men and women hand selected to work there and real difference in recruiting, training, and compensation. All add up to a decisive advantage in management. Leaders and co-leaders manage Goldman’s many business units with rigor and drive; risk management is the envy of other banks; and coordination is powerful across business units and markets around the world.
As every Olympic athlete knows, such small differences make all the difference between gold, silver or bronze � or no medal at all. In the current, very difficult test, Goldman Sachs has come in 1st � again.

* Goldman Sachs is often described as the best managed Wall Street firm. Is that true?

Yes, it is true. Goldman Sachs is the best managed “Wall Street� firm � and the best led. Management is why Goldman Sachs is consistently rated the best firm to work for and gets top ratings from clients all over the world. Superior management is why the firm earns more profit, develops more effective people, has made itself the market leader in the U.S., U.K, Germany, France, China, Japan, and in most major lines of banking business. No other firm comes close.
One of the things you will learn in The Partnership is just how Goldman succeeded in making themselves different from any other Wall Street firm. They learned early on that in order to survive, they had to not only make money, but create a culture that was universal, that demanded absolutely loyalty and, most importantly, act as one organism.

* Why does Goldman Sachs put so much weight on its “culture�?

Goldman Sachs culture works. In the complex, fast-changing, global, 24/7 securities business almost all the important decisions are made in highly specific and complex settings under great time pressure. These decisions cannot be made by headquarters and they cannot be deferred. They must be made locally by local market and business experts thousands of times every day.
Rules won’t work. If rules were written for every type of decision in all those different businesses in all the world’s different markets in all the different cultures, the resulting Rule Book would be far too large and complex to read or use.
Culture � its way of working � is the universal “stem cell� that enables Goldman Sachs to operate so forcefully in so many different national markets and in so many different businesses.

* With all its different business activities all over the world, doesn’t Goldman Sachs have problems with conflicts of interest?

Yes! The firm certainly has many, many conflicts of interest. While it could take a defensive approach and try to avoid or minimize those risks of conflicts, the firm believes the more realistic and effective approach is to recognize those risks, be candid about them with clients and counterparties, and actively manage the conflicts. The firm strives to deal with each of them in such thoughtful and effective ways that clients and customers will know Goldman Sachs can be trusted to manage conflicts better than any other firm.

This is, of course, an assumption of enormous responsibility � particularly on the scale on which Goldman Sachs operates � so it raises the obvious next question: Who will watch the watcher?]]> 752 Charles D. Ellis 1594201897 Ajay 0 to-read 3.82 2008 The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs
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]]> <![CDATA[Meet You in Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the Bitter Partnership That Changed America]]> 184483
“Masterful . . . Standiford has a way of making the 1890s resonate with a twenty-first-century audience.”� USA Today

“The narrative is as absorbing as that of any good novel—and as difficult to put down.”� Miami Herald

The author of Last Train to Paradise tells the riveting story of Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the bloody steelworkers� strike that transformed their fabled partnership into a furious rivalry. Set against the backdrop of the Gilded Age, Meet You in Hell captures the majesty and danger of steel manufacturing, the rough-and-tumble of the business world, and the fraught relationship between “the world’s richest man� and the ruthless coke magnate to whom he entrusted his companies. The result is an extraordinary work of popular history.

Praise for Meet You in Hell

“To the list of the signal relationships of American history . . . we can add one Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick . . . The tale is deftly set out by Les Standiford.� � Wall Street Journal

“Standiford tells the story with the skills of a novelist . . . a colloquial style that is mindful of William Manchester’s great The Glory and the Dream. � � Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

“A muscular, enthralling read that takes you back to a time when two titans of industry clashed in a battle of wills and egos that had seismic ramifications not only for themselves but for anyone living in the United States, then and now.� —Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River]]> 336 Les Standiford 1400047684 Ajay 0 to-read 3.84 2005 Meet You in Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the Bitter Partnership That Changed America
author: Les Standiford
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.84
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]]> Mellon: An American Life 345849
Following a boyhood in nineteenth-century Pittsburgh, during which he learned from his Scotch-Irish immigrant father the lessons of self-sufficiency and accumulation of wealth, Andrew Mellon overcame painful shyness to become one of America’s greatest financiers. Across an unusually diverse range of enterprises, from banking to oil to aluminum manufacture, he would build a legendary personal fortune, tracking America’s course to global economic supremacy. Personal happiness, however, eluded his loveless marriage at forty-five to a British girl less than half his age ended in a scandalous divorce, and for all his best efforts, he would remain a stranger to his children. He had been bred to do one thing, and that he did with brilliant and innovative entrepreneurship. The Mellon way was to hold companies closely, including such iconic enterprises as Alcoa and Gulf Oil. Collecting art, a pursuit inspired by his close friend Henry Clay Frick, would become his only nonprofessional gratification. And by the end of his life, Mellon’s “pictures� would constitute one of the world’s foremost private collections.

Mellon’s wealth and name allowed him to dominate Pennsylvania politics, and late in life he was invited to Washington. As treasury secretary under presidents Harding, Coolidge, and finally Hoover, he made the federal government run like a business—prefiguring the public official as CEO. But this man of straightforward conservative politics was no politician. He would be hailed as the architect of the Roaring Twenties, but, staying too long, would be blamed for the Great Depression, eventually to find himself a broken idol. The New Deal overthrew Andrew Mellon’s every fiscal assumption, starting with the imperative of balanced budgets. Indeed, he would become the emblem—and the scapegoat—for the Republican conviction and policy that the role of government is to help business create national wealth and jobs. At the age of seventy-nine, the former treasury secretary suffered the ultimate prosecution by FDR’s government on charges of tax evasion. In the end Mellon would be exonerated, as he always trusted he would be, and throughout the trial, which lasted more than a year, he never abandoned what had become his last to make a great gift to the American people. The National Gallery of Art remains his most tangible legacy, although he did not live to see its completion.

The issues Andrew W. Mellon confronted—concerning government, business, influence, the individual and the public good—remain at the center of our national discourse to this day. Indeed, the positions he steadfastly held reemerged relatively intact with the Reagan revolution, having lain dormant since the New Deal. David Cannadine’s magisterial biography brings to life a towering, controversial figure, casting new light on our history and the evolution of our public values.]]> 800 David Cannadine 0679450327 Ajay 0 to-read 3.94 2006 Mellon: An American Life
author: David Cannadine
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]]> <![CDATA[The Money Men: Capitalism, Democracy, and the Hundred Years' War Over the American Dollar (Enterprise)]]> 2082118 240 H.W. Brands 0393330508 Ajay 0 to-read 3.55 2006 The Money Men: Capitalism, Democracy, and the Hundred Years' War Over the American Dollar (Enterprise)
author: H.W. Brands
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.55
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]]> <![CDATA[Hedge Hunters: Hedge Fund Masters on the Rewards, the Risk, and the Reckoning]]> 757557 Top 10 Editor's Finance and Investing The hedge fund industry's top managers have a penchant for high returns and low profiles. The combination makes them a regular focus of the media, eager to know what makes them tick. Now, thanks to Katherine Burton, who's been covering these noteworthy traders for Bloomberg News for more than a decade, we know considerably more about them. With candor and detail, the industry's most successful hedge fund managers describe the events that shaped their personal journeys, the strategies they use to produce returns even in uncooperative markets, and the attributes that make a smart investor. Hedge Hunters offers a rare look at the industry's top performers and an introduction to some of the most talented new managers, handpicked by the masters themselves.]]> 206 Katherine Burton 1576602451 Ajay 0 to-read 3.45 2007 Hedge Hunters: Hedge Fund Masters on the Rewards, the Risk, and the Reckoning
author: Katherine Burton
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average rating: 3.45
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]]> <![CDATA[The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron]]> 113576 All the President's Men gave readers the full story, with all the drama and nuance and exclusive reporting. And thirty years later, if you're going to read only one book on Watergate, that's still the one. Today, Enron is the biggest business story of our time, and Fortune senior writers Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind are the new Woodward and Bernstein.

Remarkably, it was just two years ago that Enron was thought to epitomize a great New Economy company, with its skyrocketing profits and share price. But that was before Fortune published an article by McLean that asked a seemingly innocent question: How exactly does Enron make money? From that point on, Enron's house of cards began to crumble. Now, McLean and Elkind have investigated much deeper, to offer the definitive book about the Enron scandal and the fascinating people behind it.

Meticulously researched and character driven, Smartest Guys in the Room takes the reader deep into Enron's past—and behind the closed doors of private meetings. Drawing on a wide range of unique sources, the book follows Enron's rise from obscurity to the top of the business world to its disastrous demise. It reveals as never before major characters such as Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow, as well as lesser known players like Cliff Baxter and Rebecca Mark. Smartest Guys in the Room is a story of greed, arrogance, and deceit—a microcosm of all that is wrong with American business today. Above all, it's a fascinating human drama that will prove to be the authoritative account of the Enron scandal.]]> 440 Bethany McLean 1591840538 Ajay 0 to-read 4.20 2003 The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
author: Bethany McLean
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.20
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]]> <![CDATA[The Birth of Plenty : How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created]]> 94560 --John C. Bogle, Founder and Former CEO, The Vanguard Group Why didn't the Florentines invent the steam engines and flying machines that Da Vinci sketched? What kept the master metallurgists of ancient Rome from discovering electricity? The Birth of Plenty takes a fascinating new look at the key conditions that had to be in place before world economic growth--and the technological progress underlying it--could occur, why those pathways are still absent in many parts of today's world, and what must be done before true, universal prosperity can become a reality. The Birth of Plenty doesn't mean to suggest that nothing of note existed before 1820. What The Birth of Plenty suggests that, from the dawn of recorded history through 1820, the "mass of man" experienced essentially zero growth, either in economic standing or living standards. It was only in the third decade of the nineteenth century that the much of the world's standard of living began to inexorably and irreversibly improve, and the modern world was born. But what changed, and why then? Noted financial expert and neurologist William Bernstein isolates the four conditions which, when occurring simultaneously, constitute an all-inclusive formula for human ]]> 350 William J. Bernstein 0071421920 Ajay 0 to-read 4.17 2004 The Birth of Plenty : How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created
author: William J. Bernstein
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average rating: 4.17
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]]> The Great Indian Novel 30843 423 Shashi Tharoor 1559701943 Ajay 0 to-read 3.89 1989 The Great Indian Novel
author: Shashi Tharoor
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average rating: 3.89
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]]> <![CDATA[Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 5]]> 749619
Anatoly Karpov gained the right to challenge Bobby Fischer for the world title by winning through the Candidates series in 1974. As is well known, Fischer refused to defend the title and in 1975 Karpov became champion "by default." Although he did not have to contest a Championship match to gain the title, Karpov proved that he was a worthy champion by winning virtually every major tournament over the next decade.

In this book, a must for all serious chess players Kasparov analyzes deeply Karpov's greatest games and assesses the legacy of this great Russian genius. Also under the microscope are the games of Viktor Korchnoi who was at his peak during this period and twice challenged Karpov for his world title.]]> 480 Garry Kasparov 1857444043 Ajay 0 to-read 4.50 2006 Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Garry Kasparov on Fischer: My Great Predecessors, Part IV]]> 370243
In the period between 1955 and 1972, Fischer, more or less single-handedly, took on the might of the Soviet Chess Empire and won. During this time Fischer scored astonishing successes, the likes of which had not been seen before. These included 11/11 in the 1963/64 U.S. Championship and match victories (en route to the World Championship) by the score of 6-0 against two of the strongest players in the world, Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen. The climax of Fischer's campaign was his unforgettable match win in Reykjavik in 1972 against Boris Spassky.

However, Fischer is not only remembered for his achievements over-the-board, he is almost equally well-known for his temperamental behavior away from the board. He made extreme demands of all those around him, including tournament organizers. When these demands were not met he often refused to play. The 1972 match against Spassky required the intervention of no less than Henry Kissinger to smooth things over. In 1975, when he was due to defend his title against Anatoly Karpov, Fischer was completely unable to agree terms with FIDE (the World Chess Federation) and was defaulted. After this, he more or less gave up chess, playing only once, a "return" match against Spassky in 1992.

In this book, a must for all serious chess players, Kasparov deeply analyzes Fischer's greatest games and assesses the legacy of this great American genius.]]> 496 Garry Kasparov 1857443950 Ajay 0 to-read 4.41 2005 Garry Kasparov on Fischer: My Great Predecessors, Part IV
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]]> <![CDATA[Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 3]]> 749621
This magnificent compilation of play from the 1960s through to the 1970s forms the basis of the third part of Garry Kasparov's long-awaited definitive history of the World Chess Championship. Garry Kasparov, who is universally acclaimed as the greatest chess player ever, subjects the play from this era to a rigorous analysis--the examination being enhanced by the use of the latest chess software. This volume features the play of champions Tigran Petrosian (1963-1969) and Boris Spassky (1969-1972).

However, this book is more than just a compilation of play from the greats of this era. Kasparov's biographies of these champions place them in a fascinating historical, political, and cultural context. Kasparov explains how each champion brought his own distinctive style to the chessboard and enriched the theory of the game with new ideas.]]> 335 Garry Kasparov 1857443713 Ajay 0 to-read 4.43 2004 Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 3
author: Garry Kasparov
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]]> <![CDATA[Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 2]]> 749620
This magnificent compilation of chess from the mid-20th century forms the basis of the second part of Garry Kasparov's long-awaited definitive history of the World Chess Championship. Garry Kasparov, who is universally acclaimed as the greatest chess player ever, subjects the play of his early predecessors to a rigorous analysis. This volume features the play of champions Max Euwe (1935-1937) Mikhail Botvinnik (1946-1957, 1958-1961 and 1961-1963), Vassily Smyslov (1957-1958) and Mikhail Tal (1960-1961).

However, this book is more than just a compilation of the games of these champions. Kasparov's biographies place them in a fascinating historical, political and cultural context. Kasparov explains how each champion brought his own distinctive style to the chessboard and enriched the theory of the game with new ideas.]]> 480 Garry Kasparov 185744342X Ajay 0 to-read 4.41 2004 Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 2
author: Garry Kasparov
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]]> <![CDATA[Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 1]]> 163826 These magnificent compilations of chess form the basis of the first two parts of Garry Kasparov's definitive history of the World Chess Championship. Garry Kasparov, who is universally acclaimed as the greatest chessplayer ever, subjects the play of his predecessors to a rigorous analysis.

Part one features the play of champions Wilhelm Steinitz (1886-1894), Emanuel Lasker (1894-1921), Jose Capablanca (1921-1927) and Alexander Alekhine (1927-1935 and 1937-1946).

Part two features the play of champions Max Euwe (1935-1937) Mikhail Botvinnik (1946-1957, 1958-1961 and 1961-1963), Vassily Smyslov (1957-1958) and Mikhail Tal (1960-1961).

These books are more than just a compilation of the games of these champions. Kasparov's biographies place them in a fascinating historical, political and cultural context. Kasparov explains how each champion brought his own distinctive style to the chessboard and enriched the theory of the game with new ideas.

All these games have been thoroughly reassessed with the aid of modern software technology and the new light this sheds on these classic masterpieces is fascinating.]]> 464 Garry Kasparov 1857443306 Ajay 0 to-read 4.38 2003 Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 1
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]]> <![CDATA[Alexander Alekhine - My Best Games of Chess - 1908-1937]]> 85138 This unequaled collection reproduces Alekhine’s 220 best games, his own personal accounts of the dazzling victories that made him a legend. Spanning almost thirty years of tournament play, it includes historic matches against Capablanca, Euwe, and Bogoljubov, and chronicles his brilliant ascent to world mastery, his surprising defeat in 1935, and his dramatic return two years later � the first deposed champion to regain his crown.
Between 1927 and 1936 his successes in tournaments were unsurpassed by any master at any time in the history of chess. At San Remo 1930 and Bled 1931, in competitions that featured many of the world’s greatest players, Alekhine so outdistanced the field that he was indisputably in a class by himself. In a career including some seventy tournaments, he won first prize forty-one times, tying for first on nine occasions. He won or shared second prize fourteen times.
Chess was Alekhine’s life; he lived for it alone. And although the final chapter of his career and his life were tragic, his achievements at the chessboard rank him as one of the game’s true artists. Filled with Alekhine’s own penetrating commentary on strategy and tactics, and enhanced by a revealing memoir, My Best Games is grandmaster chess at its most sublime. This volume belongs in the library of every serious student of the game.]]> 592 Alexander Alekhine 0486249417 Ajay 0 to-read 4.40 1939 Alexander Alekhine - My Best Games of Chess - 1908-1937
author: Alexander Alekhine
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average rating: 4.40
book published: 1939
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]]> <![CDATA[Alexander Alekhine's Best Games (Batsford Chess Library)]]> 856909 302 Alexander Alekhine 0805047239 Ajay 0 to-read 4.55 1996 Alexander Alekhine's Best Games (Batsford Chess Library)
author: Alexander Alekhine
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average rating: 4.55
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]]> <![CDATA[107 Great Chess Battles, 1939-1945 (Dover Books on Chess)]]> 1594894 In Part One, devoted to open games, Alekhine analyzes games featuring such openings as the Ruy Lopez, Four Knights Game, Philidor's Defense, and the Scotch Gambit. Part Two is devoted to semi-open games, featuring the French Defense, Caro-Kann Defense, Sicilian Defense, Alekhine's Defense, and King's Pawn, Nimzowitsch Defense. In Part Three Alekhine discusses examples of closed games, including the Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense; Queen's Gambit Declined, Slav Defense; Queens' Gambit Accepted; Queen's Pawn, Nimzowitsch Defense; the Queen's Pawn Game, English Opening, Catalan System; and more.
This book lets you discover the stratagems and strategies involved in a host of fascinating struggles between the world's greatest chess Alekhine, Capablanca, Bogoljubov, Kashdan, Reshevsky, Tartakower, Keres, Najdor, and numerous others. With characteristic thoroughness, clarity, and humor, Alekhine guides you through the intricacies of each contest, illuminating complicated positions and offering a world champion's special insight and commentary.
Whatever your level of chess expertise, you'll enjoy and benefit from studying these games, presented and analyzed by one of the supreme strategists in chess history.]]> 256 Alexander Alekhine 0486271048 Ajay 0 to-read 4.00 1980 107 Great Chess Battles, 1939-1945 (Dover Books on Chess)
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]]> <![CDATA[Alexander Alekhine Master of Attack (Masters (Everyman Chess))]]> 812768 In this book Raetsky and Chetverik take a look back at how Alekhine defeated his opponents in dazzling style. They carefully select and analyze some of Alekhine's most famous attacks and glorious combinations. A deep study of his games cannot fail to entertain and inspire any true chess fan.

*Includes Alekhine's most celebrated games
*Self-test with his most difficult combinations
*Perfect for sharpening attacking play]]> 128 Maxim Chetverik 1857443721 Ajay 0 to-read 4.47 2004 Alexander Alekhine Master of Attack (Masters (Everyman Chess))
author: Maxim Chetverik
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average rating: 4.47
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]]> <![CDATA[Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time]]> 204180 Thirty years later, David Edmonds and John Eidinow have set out to reexamine the story we recollect as the quintessential cold war clash between a lone American star and the Soviet chess machine - a machine that had delivered the world title to the Kremlin for decades. Drawing upon unpublished Soviet and U.S. records, the authors reconstruct the full and incredible saga, one far more poignant and layered than hitherto believed.

The authors chronicle how Fischer, a manipulative, dysfunctional genius, risked all to seize control of the contest as the organizers maneuvered frantically to save it - under the eyes of the world's press. They can now tell the inside story of Moscow's response, and the bitter tensions within the Soviet camp as the anxious and frustrated apparatchiks strove to prop up Boris Spassky, the most un-Soviet of their champions - fun-loving, sensitive, and a free spirit. Edmonds and Eidinow follow this careering, behind-the-scenes confrontation to its climax: a clash that displayed the cultural differences between the dynamic, media-savvy representatives of the West and the baffled, impotent Soviets. Try as they might, even the KGB couldn't help.

]]> 368 David Edmonds 0060510242 Ajay 0 to-read 3.89 2003 Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time
author: David Edmonds
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]]> My 60 Memorable Games 6449527
]]> 384 Bobby Fischer 190638830X Ajay 0 to-read 4.36 1969 My 60 Memorable Games
author: Bobby Fischer
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]]> War and Peace 656
War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men.

As Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy brilliantly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature.


Tolstoy gave his personal approval to this translation, published here in a new single volume edition, which includes an introduction by Henry Gifford, and Tolstoy's important essay `Some Words about War and Peace'.]]> 1392 Leo Tolstoy 0192833987 Ajay 0 to-read 4.14 1869 War and Peace
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1869
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]]> <![CDATA[The Iron Triangle: Inside the Secret World of the Carlyle Group]]> 108312 242 Dan Briody 0471660620 Ajay 0 to-read 3.55 2003 The Iron Triangle: Inside the Secret World of the Carlyle Group
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]]> <![CDATA[The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers]]> 7822182 An eye-opening investigation into china's communist party and its integral role in the country's rise as a global superpower and rival of the united states

China's political and economic growth in the past three decades is one of astonishing, epochal dimensions. The country has undergone a remarkable transformation on a scale similar to that of the Industrial Revolution in the West. The most remarkable part of this transformation, however, has been left largely untold—the central role of the Chinese Communist Party.

As an organization alone, the Party is a phenomenon of unique scale and power. Its membership surpasses seventy-three million, and it does more than just rule a country. The Party not only has a grip on every aspect of government, from the largest, richest cities to the smallest far-flung villages in Tibet and Xinjiang, it also has a hold on all official religions, the media, and the military. The Party presides over large, wealthy state-owned businesses, and it exercises control over the selection of senior executives of all government companies, many of which are in the top tier of the Fortune 500 list.

In The Party, Richard McGregor delves deeply into China's inner sanctum for the first time, showing how the Communist Party controls the government, courts, media, and military, and how it keeps all corruption accusations against its members in-house. The Party's decisions have a global impact, yet the CPC remains a deeply secretive body, hostile to the law, unaccountable to anyone or anything other than its own internal tribunals. It is the world's only geopolitical rival of the United States, and is steadfastly poised to think the worst of the West.

In this provocative and illuminating account, Richard McGregor offers a captivating portrait of China's Communist Party, its grip on power and control over China, and its future.

]]> 320 Richard McGregor 0061708771 Ajay 0 to-read 3.99 2010 The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers
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]]> <![CDATA[Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda]]> 12615

From the Audiobook Download edition.]]> 103 Noam Chomsky 1583225366 Ajay 0 to-read 4.07 1995 Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda
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book published: 1995
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]]> <![CDATA[Propaganda and the Public Mind]]> 12625 In his latest interview collection, Noam Chomsky offers insights into the institutions that shape the public mind in the service of power and profit. Whether discussing the recent U.S. military escalation in Colombia, the bipartisan rollback of Social Security, the rise of for-profit HMOs, or growing inequality worldwide, Chomsky shows how ordinary citizens, if they work together, have the power to make meaningful change.

Renowned interviewer David Barsamian showcases his unique access to Chomsky's thinking on a number of topics of contemporary and historical import. In an interview conducted after the important November 1999 "Battle in Seattle", Chomsky discusses prospects for building a movement to challenge corporate domination of the media, the environment, and even our private lives. Chomsky also engages in a discussion of his ideas on language and mind, making his important linguistic insights accessible to the lay reader.

]]> 256 Noam Chomsky 074531788X Ajay 0 to-read 4.05 1998 Propaganda and the Public Mind
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]]> <![CDATA[The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume I]]> 377965 1114 Edward Gibbon 0140433937 Ajay 0 to-read 4.21 1776 The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume I
author: Edward Gibbon
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average rating: 4.21
book published: 1776
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]]> <![CDATA[White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India]]> 124432 White Mughals is the romantic and ultimately tragic tale of a passionate love affair that crossed and transcended all the cultural, religious and political boundaries of its time. James Achilles Kirkpatrick was the British Resident at the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad when in 1798 he glimpsed Kahir un-Nissa�'Most excellent among Women'—the great-niece of the Nizam's Prime Minister and a descendant of the Prophet. Kirkpatrick had gone out to India as an ambitious soldier in the army of the East India Company, eager to make his name in the conquest and subjection of the subcontinent. Instead, he fell in love with Khair and overcame many obstacles to marry her—not least of which was the fact that she was locked away in purdah and engaged to a local nobleman. Eventually, while remaining Resident, Kirkpatrick converted to Islam, and according to Indian sources even became a double-agent working for the Hyderabadis against the East India Company.

It is a remarkable story, involving secret assignations, court intrigue, harem politics, religious and family disputes. But such things were not unknown; from the early sixteenth century, when the Inquisition banned the Portuguese in Goa from wearing the dhoti, to the eve of the Indian mutiny, the 'white Mughals' who wore local dress and adopted Indian ways were a source of embarrassments to successive colonial administrations. William Dalrymple unearths such colourful figures as 'Hindoo Stuart', who travelled with his own team of Brahmins to maintain his temple of idols, and who spent many years trying to persuade the memsahibs of Calcutta to adopt the sari; and Sir David Ochterlony, Kirkpatrick's counterpart in Delhi, who took all thirteen of his wives out for evening promenades, each on the back of their own elephant.

In White Mughals, William Dalrymple discovers a world almost entirely unexplored by history, and places at its centre a compelling tale of love, seduction and betrayal. It possesses all the sweep and resonance of a great nineteenth-century novel, set against a background of shifting alliances and the manoeuvring of the great powers, the mercantile ambitions of the British and the imperial dreams of Napoleon. White Mughals, the product of five years' writing and research, triumphantly confirms Dalrymple's reputation as one of the finest writers at work today.]]> 580 William Dalrymple 014200412X Ajay 0 to-read 3.95 2002 White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India
author: William Dalrymple
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average rating: 3.95
book published: 2002
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]]> The Satanic Verses 12781
From the back cover.]]> 561 Salman Rushdie 0312270828 Ajay 0 to-read 3.73 1988 The Satanic Verses
author: Salman Rushdie
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1988
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]]> The Satanic Bible 82333 The Satanic Bible was first published by Anton LaVey in 1969. It is a collection of essays, observations and rituals, and outlines LaVey's Satanic ideology. It contains the core principles of the Church of Satan and is considered the foundation of the philosophy and dogma that constitute LaVeyan Satanism.]]> 272 Anton Szandor LaVey 0380015390 Ajay 0 to-read 3.42 1969 The Satanic Bible
author: Anton Szandor LaVey
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.42
book published: 1969
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Torah: The Five Books of Moses]]> 821535 394 Anonymous 0827600151 Ajay 4 to-read 4.10 -500 The Torah: The Five Books of Moses
author: Anonymous
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.10
book published: -500
rating: 4
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]]> Atlas Shrugged 662 This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world and did. Was he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators?

Why did he have to fight his battle, not against his enemies, but against those who needed him most, and his hardest battle against the woman he loved? What is the world’s motor � and the motive power of every man? You will know the answer to these questions when you discover the reason behind the baffling events that play havoc with the lives of the characters in this story.

Tremendous in its scope, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life � from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy � to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction � to the philosopher who becomes a pirate � to the composer who gives up his career on the night of his triumph � to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad � to the lowest track worker in her Terminal tunnels.

You must be prepared, when you read this novel, to check every premise at the root of your convictions.

This is a mystery story, not about the murder � and rebirth � of man’s spirit. It is a philosophical revolution, told in the form of an action thriller of violent events, a ruthlessly brilliant plot structure and an irresistible suspense. Do you say this is impossible? Well, that is the first of your premises to check.]]> 1168 Ayn Rand 0452011876 Ajay 0 to-read 3.67 1957 Atlas Shrugged
author: Ayn Rand
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1957
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]]> <![CDATA[God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything]]> 43369 307 Christopher Hitchens 0446579807 Ajay 0 to-read 3.94 2007 God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
author: Christopher Hitchens
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2007
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]]> <![CDATA[Cocoa Cycles: The Economics of Cocoa Supply]]> 6735327 384 François Ruf 1855732157 Ajay 0 to-read 0.0 1995 Cocoa Cycles: The Economics of Cocoa Supply
author: François Ruf
name: Ajay
average rating: 0.0
book published: 1995
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]]> <![CDATA[The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism]]> 74176 320 Max Weber 048642703X Ajay 0 to-read 3.92 1904 The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
author: Max Weber
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1904
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]]> <![CDATA[Keynes Hayek: The Clash that Defined Modern Economics]]> 10955020

From their first face-to-face encounter to the heated arguments between their ardent disciples, Nicholas Wapshott here unearths the contemporary relevance of Keynes and Hayek, as present-day arguments over the virtues of the free market and government intervention rage with the same ferocity as they did in the 1930s.]]> 300 Nicholas Wapshott 0393077489 Ajay 0 to-read 3.84 2011 Keynes Hayek: The Clash that Defined Modern Economics
author: Nicholas Wapshott
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2011
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]]> <![CDATA[The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism]]> 1237300 The Shock Doctrine retells the story of the most dominant ideology of our time, Milton Friedman's free market economic revolution. In contrast to the popular myth of this movement's peaceful global victory, Klein shows how it has exploited moments of shock and extreme violence in order to implement its economic policies in so many parts of the world from Latin America and Eastern Europe to South Africa, Russia, and Iraq. At the core of disaster capitalism is the use of cataclysmic events to advance radical privatization combined with the privatization of the disaster response itself. By capitalizing on crises, created by nature or war, Klein argues that the disaster capitalism complex now exists as a booming new economy, and is the violent culmination of a radical economic project that has been incubating for fifty years.]]> 558 Naomi Klein 0805079831 Ajay 0 to-read 4.27 2007 The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
author: Naomi Klein
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2007
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]]> <![CDATA[How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes]]> 7048818 How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes uses illustration, humor, and accessible storytelling to explain complex topics of economic growth and monetary systems. In it, economic expert and bestselling author of Crash Proof, Peter Schiff teams up with his brother Andrew to apply their signature "take no prisoners" logic to expose the glaring fallacies that have become so ingrained in our country’s economic conversation.

Inspired by How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn’t—a previously published book by the Schiffs� father Irwin, a widely published economist and activist�How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashesincorporates the spirit of the original while tackling the latest economic issues.With wit and humor, the Schiffs explain the roots of economic growth, the uses of capital, the destructive nature of consumer credit, the source of inflation, the importance of trade, savings, and risk, and many other topical principles of economics.

The tales told here may appear simple of the surface, but they will leave you with a powerful understanding of How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes.]]> 256 Peter D. Schiff 047052670X Ajay 0 to-read 4.13 2010 How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes
author: Peter D. Schiff
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2010
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]]> The Worldly Philosophers 82120 The bestselling classic that examines the history of economic thought from Adam Smith to Karl Marx—“all the economic lore most general readers conceivably could want to know, served up with a flourish� (The New York Times).

The Worldly Philosophers not only enables us to see more deeply into our history but helps us better understand our own times. In this seventh edition, Robert L. Heilbroner provides a new theme that connects thinkers as diverse as Adam Smith and Karl Marx. The theme is the common focus of their highly varied ideas—namely, the search to understand how a capitalist society works. It is a focus never more needed than in this age of confusing economic headlines.

In a bold new concluding chapter entitled “The End of the Worldly Philosophy?� Heilbroner reminds us that the word “end� refers to both the purpose and limits of economics. This chapter conveys a concern that today’s increasingly “scientific� economics may overlook fundamental social and political issues that are central to economics. Thus, unlike its predecessors, this new edition provides not just an indispensable illumination of our past but a call to action for our future.]]> 368 Robert L. Heilbroner 068486214X Ajay 0 to-read 4.16 1953 The Worldly Philosophers
author: Robert L. Heilbroner
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1953
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor]]> 209176 The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is David S. Landes's acclaimed, best-selling exploration of one of the most contentious and hotly debated questions of our time: Why do some nations achieve economic success while others remain mired in poverty? The answer, as Landes definitively illustrates, is a complex interplay of cultural mores and historical circumstance. Rich with anecdotal evidence, piercing analysis, and a truly astonishing range of erudition, The Wealth and Poverty of Nationsis a "picture of enormous sweep and brilliant insight" (Kenneth Arrow) as well as one of the most audaciously ambitious works of history in decades.

For the paperback edition, Landes has written a new epilogue, in which he takes account of Asian financial crisises and the international tension between overconfidence and reality.]]> 531 David S. Landes 0393318885 Ajay 0 to-read 3.95 1998 The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
author: David S. Landes
name: Ajay
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1998
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]]> <![CDATA[Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy]]> 7184066
Rajan shows how the individual choices that collectively brought about the economic meltdown--made by bankers, government officials, and ordinary homeowners--were rational responses to a flawed global financial order in which the incentives to take on risk are incredibly out of step with the dangers those risks pose. He traces the deepening fault lines in a world overly dependent on the indebted American consumer to power global economic growth and stave off global downturns. He exposes a system where America's growing inequality and thin social safety net create tremendous political pressure to encourage easy credit and keep job creation robust, no matter what the consequences to the economy's long-term health; and where the U.S. financial sector, with its skewed incentives, is the critical but unstable link between an overstimulated America and an underconsuming world.

In "Fault Lines," Rajan demonstrates how unequal access to education and health care in the United States puts us all in deeper financial peril, even as the economic choices of countries like Germany, Japan, and China place an undue burden on America to get its policies right. He outlines the hard choices we need to make to ensure a more stable world economy and restore lasting prosperity.]]> 260 Raghuram G. Rajan 0691146837 Ajay 0 to-read 4.09 2010 Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy
author: Raghuram G. Rajan
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2010
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]]> <![CDATA[Summary & Study Guide Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences by John Allen Paulos]]> 10386759 35 BookRags Ajay 0 to-read 4.00 2011 Summary & Study Guide Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences by John Allen Paulos
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name: Ajay
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
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]]> The Evolution of Cooperation 366821 The Evolution of Cooperation provides valuable insights into the age-old question of whether unforced cooperation is ever possible. Widely praised and much-discussed, this classic book explores how cooperation can emerge in a world of self-seeking egoists—whether superpowers, businesses, or individuals—when there is no central authority to police their actions. The problem of cooperation is central to many different fields. Robert Axelrod recounts the famous computer tournaments in which the “cooperative� program Tit for Tat recorded its stunning victories, explains its application to a broad spectrum of subjects, and suggests how readers can both apply cooperative principles to their own lives and teach cooperative principles to others.]]> 264 Robert Axelrod 0465005640 Ajay 0 to-read 4.26 1984 The Evolution of Cooperation
author: Robert Axelrod
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1984
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]]> Choice and Consequence 273401 Choice and Consequence, he ventures into the area where rationality is ambiguous in order to look at the tricks people use to try to quit smoking or lose weight. He explores topics as awesome as nuclear terrorism, as sordid as blackmail, as ineffable as daydreaming, as intimidating as euthanasia. He examines ethical issues wrapped up in economics, unwrapping the economics to disclose ethical issues that are misplaced or misidentified.

With an ingenious, often startling approach, Schelling brings new perspectives to problems ranging from drug abuse, abortion, and the value people put on their lives to organized crime, airplane hijacking, and automobile safety. One chapter is a clear and elegant exposition of game theory as a framework for analyzing social problems. Another plays with the hypothesis that our minds are not only our problem-solving equipment but also the organ in which much of our consumption takes place.

What binds together the different subjects is the author's belief in the possibility of simultaneously being humane and analytical, of dealing with both the momentous and the familiar. Choice and Consequence was written for the curious, the puzzled, the worried, and all those who appreciate intellectual adventure.]]> 379 Thomas C. Schelling 0674127714 Ajay 0 to-read 4.05 1984 Choice and Consequence
author: Thomas C. Schelling
name: Ajay
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1984
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